Jean Miller and Robert Grover battled for 20 rounds before Miller pulled out a win Saturday in the Third Annual Lyon County Area Senior Spelling Bee. Miller successfully spelled “irreversible.”
Prizes this year were $25 and $10 scholarships that can be used for expenses for the State Spelling Bee, to be held in Salina at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 16 at the Webster Conference Center. The grand prize will be a $1,500 scholarship to attend the National Senior Citizens Spelling Bee competition in Cheyenne, Wyo., in June 2010 to compete against contestants from other states.
The county spelling bee drew 18 contestants. The “Golden Seniors” were Pat Fredrickson, Lola Collinge and Laura Schlobohm. The “Over 50” Seniors were Del Alcorn, Marita Bolson, Sandy Cook, Mary Fisher, Louise Hinrichs, Tom Lorenz, Margaret Martin, Miller, Jelene Harclerode, James Fairbrother, Grover, Kay Johnson, Teresa Mahone, Doris McPherson and Evelyn O’Connor.
In the “Golden Seniors” division, Fredrickson won first place, with the word karaoke; Collinge won second; and last year’s winner, Schlobohm won third place.
The judges this year were Carolyn Turney, county spelling bee judge; Carolyn Kuhn, community leader; and Gabriel O’Connor of Neosho Rapids, the 2009 Lyon County Spelling Bee winner.The planning committee included Kathy O’Mara, Kuhn, Lisa Grey and Norma Karhoff; O’Mara and Karhoff also were the word list creators. Nona Berghouse was in charge of name tags and certificates; Mary Stauffer, enabler; Belle Grimsley, photographer.
The cookie bakers were Marita Bolson, Lois Steinel, Louise Boles, Carlene Bedner and Liz Voorhees; Boles and Voorhees, along with Mildred Caldwell, were in charge of the refreshment table. Greeters were Marylee Phillips and Faye Nuessen.
Volunteers were from AARP 285, the Emporia Area Retired School Personnel and the Lyon County Department on Aging. The event, which began with warm-up activities of a 25-word written spelling test, was held at HIS Place, the First Baptist Church activity center.
All Kansas residents who are 50 years old before Oct. 16 are encouraged to attend the Kansas Senior Citizens Spelling Bee in Salina. There is a $5 entry fee payable in advance, with checks to be made to the Salina Senior Center at 245 N. Ninth, Salina, KS 67401. Registration forms are available from Norma Karhoff at 342-9056; or (785) 827-9818 or at www.salhelp.org/aging/spellingbee. Entry forms, due by Sept. 28, are to be sent to to the above address.